When media personality Anele Mdoda tweeted that it was 'so cute,' her followers responded with their own stories of how the ad effected them. "I always enjoy working on stories that are real and authentic, so I was really drawn to this script," says Parkinson. "It’s a story that every family will understand."

There’s A Show For That, Showmax’s launch commercials, won Bronze at the 2017 Loerie Awards, but Love of Stories marks the first campaign created by Showmax’s in-house creative team.

Parkinson adds, "Everyone on the Showmax team was willing to explore, and they appreciated the strong push towards the emotional, rather than the practical, going for 'feel' rather than overloading with too much information."

Love of Stories – Showmax


"Why did we make such an emotional ad?" says Nicola van Ast, head of acquisition for Showmax. "Because SVOD is jargon; Internet TV can be scary. We needed to bring our brand into people's homes and hearts. Then, just maybe then, they'll be open to being educated on how to use our product."

Award-winning DOP Rory O’Grady shot with anamorphic lenses with a 1:2.39 format. Parkinson says the real stars of the show were Ernest Ndlovu as the 75-year-old grandfather, and Unathi March as his five-year-old granddaughter, who together kept the balance between realism and emotion.

"I love working with children, as they are the real magic in life," adds Parkinson, who also made the Oreo Princess ad a few years ago. "I had seen Unathi in another casting and realised that she would be ideal for this role."

Parkinson concludes, "It’s very rare to come across a five-year-old who can be so relaxed delivering dialogue in front of the camera and a crowd of people. She reminded me so much of the little girl on the Oreo commercial and she was amazing. What a little friend to make, with such a great sense of humour."

Ashley Kadish and Maggie Post produced the spot, which was edited by Graham Smith at Orchestra Blue, to a Michael Kiwanuka cover.

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